Asia/Pacific
INDONESIA
Indonesia rejects Australian prisoner swap proposal
Indonesia rejected on Thursday an Australian proposal for a prisoner swap made in an 11th hour effort to save the lives of two Australian drug smugglers expected to face a firing…
SOUTH KOREA
US ambassador to South Korea in knife attack
US Ambassador Mark Lippert was slashed on the face and wrist on Thursday by a man wielding a knife with a 10-inch blade and screaming that the rival Koreas should be unified,…
INDIA
India bans broadcast of rape documentary
An Indian court has banned the broadcast of a documentary on the country’s endemic rape problem, in which a death row convict expresses no remorse for his part in the 2012 fatal…
INDONESIA
Indonesia prepares to execute Australian drug smugglers
Two convicted Australian drug smugglers arrived on Wednesday at an Indonesian island prison where they will be executed by firing squad along with seven other foreigners, one of…
NORH KOREA
North Korea re-opens borders as Ebola fears fade
North Korea has re-opened its borders to tourists and lifted a 21-day quarantine measure that has been in place since October 2014 over fears of the deadly Ebola virus.
PAKISTAN - INDIA
India and Pakistan revive diplomatic efforts
India’s top diplomat visits Pakistan on Tuesday for the first meeting with his counterpart since New Delhi called off talks last year aimed at easing the rivals’ many disputes.
HONG KONG
Police arrest dozens in Hong Kong at anti-China protest
More than 30 people were arrested as a group of about 400 demonstrators in Hong Kong clashed with police in the latest sign of tensions caused by China’s influence in the city.
NORTH KOREA
Sanctioned North Korea shipping firm ‘renamed ships’
A UN-blacklisted North Korean shipping company has renamed most of its vessels in a bid to disguise their origin and continues its illicit shipments in violation of United…
BANGLADESH
Atheist US blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh
A prominent American blogger of Bangladeshi origin was hacked to death with machetes by unidentified assailants in Dhaka on Thursday, police said, with the atheist writer’s…
FRANCE - PHILIPINNES
Hollande enlists film stars for climate change push in Manila
French President François Hollande arrived in the Philippines Thursday accompanied by two of France’s leading actresses, Marion Cotillard and Mélanie Laurent, to promote the…
AFGHANISTAN
Taliban suicide bombing targets Turkish envoys in Kabul
A Taliban suicide bomber targeted a Turkish diplomatic vehicle on Tuesday, police said, killing a Turkish national and an Afghan bystander.
AFGHANISTAN
Avalanches kill scores in Afghanistan
Avalanches caused by a heavy winter snow killed at least 108 people in northeastern Afghanistan, an emergency official said Wednesday, as rescuers clawed through debris with…
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand non-combat troops to aid Iraqi army
New Zealand will send troops to Iraq on a non-combat mission to boost the local military’s ability to fight the Islamic State (IS) group, Prime Minister John Key said on Tuesday.
BANGLADESH
Scores killed in Bangladesh ferry accident
The death toll in a ferry accident in central Bangladesh soared to 65 on Monday and is expected to rise, officials said, after more bodies were recovered from the overcrowded…
IRAN
